LaaF…Culture!

by dave k.

i’m not an african american.  i’m not all up into the sports world.  i’m not well versed in hip hop.  

however,

i’m a person of color.  i’m into comic books.  i engage with the bible.  

and i think “Luke Cage” is a great show.  

yes, it’s got a protagonist with super powers.  yes, it’s got some real conflict. yes, it’s got some humor and plenty of jaw-dropping action.   but it is also, hands down, the most socially conscious comic book tv show i’ve ever seen.  it places the protagonist in a real neighborhood interfacing with real issues that plague the city, even our nation.  the villainy he is up against is not singular but it is complex and so much bigger than even him (and he’s a big dude), much like the conflicts that those in the inner city find themselves in.  the writing is rich with allusions to current events, history, literature (yes, even biblical), pop culture, and even the soundtrack itself is so nuanced, making nods to multiple genres and artists.  this was a tv show come to life that was so exciting to watch because it felt like in every episode i could actually learn something.  this was a comic book story i didn’t know i was looking for.        

and at least one of the reasons i believe this is so is because the creative power of the show was in the hands of african americans.  this was not token inclusion of race but this sort of creative opening really brought something fresh to the storytelling table.  people of color have a unique perspective to bring and stories to tell that our modern american mythology is missing and we are poorer without it.  junot diaz, the domincan-american pultizer prize winning author of the brilliant the brief and wondrous life of oscar wao, argues that the science fiction and fantasy genres in particular “have at their heart discussions about power, discussions about empire, discussions about alterity” that are ripe with story telling opportunities for minorities who have experienced being on the other side of most of our story-telling.  in fact, most of our now iconic “white” heroes (superman, batman, wonder woman, spider-man, the x-men, the avengers) were actually originally created and written almost entirely by jews (ever wonder why so many of them have black hair?) familiar with displacement and discrimination in a time where their people were almost wiped off the face of the planet.

with all the controversy surrounding race relations in our nation as well as race issues seeping into our comic books, from classic white characters being recast as characters of color to white-washing of asian characters, this show didn’t ignore the issues, they jumped right into them, unafraid.   the show didn’t give easy solutions but it gave perspective not often seen in stories of heroes that others tend to overlook.  from re-imagining the ancient story of brothers in conflict trying to please a powerful Father to a protagonist who is an african american wearing a bullet ridden hoodie as his costume, everything seems to point to something greater.  and it was pretty awesome.

Tags: black lives matter, comic books, luke cage, Marvel, minorities, minority stories, netflix, poc, storytelling